Kia EV6 sold out in hours in US, buyers pick home chargers over free Apple watch

It did not take more than a few hours for Kia to exhaust its first lot of EV6 electric SUV after the Korean carmaker opened bookings for its latest electric vehicle in US. The First Edition of the Kia EV6, which included just 1,500 units of the electric car, was completely booked in no time at all.

Moreover, customers who booked the new Kia EV6 were offered with three choices to pick from among the free takeaways. These included an at-home vehicle charger, a 1000 kWh credit within a national charging network, or an Apple Watch for connecting to the EV6’s suite of Kia Connect services. According to the carmaker, there was barely any takers for the Apple Watch as more than 80 per cent customers chose to take home the EV charging unit.

EV6 is Kia's first fully electric vehicle globally to be based on its Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). The electric SUV supports 400v and 800v charging. Kia claims that the EV6 can add 112 kms of range within five minutes if hooked to a fast charger, and more than 330 kms in about 18 minutes.

The First Edition Kia EV6 is offered in US with three colour options. These include Urban Yellow with black seats, Glacier (white) with dark green seats, and Steel Gray Matte with black seats. The Urban Yellow exterior colour and dark green seats on the Glacier variant are exclusive to the First Edition Kia EV6.

There are exclusive features on the inside of the First Edition Kia EV6 as well. Kia has added special edition features like illuminated door sills with 'First Edition' sign, a numbered interior badge highlighting the limited production volume, Augmented Reality Head-Up Display, Remote Smart Parking Assist, sunroof, 20-inch wheels, premium 14-speaker Meridian audio system, dual-motor AWD power delivery and a 77.4 kWh battery.

Sean Yoon, president and CEO of Kia North America and Kia America, said, "Kia welcomes the first EV6 buyers who join us in this historic movement. Kia’s ‘electric lifestyle’ delivers a unique combination of luxury, performance and technology and the First Edition EV6 will provide owners with an experience all of their own."

Kia America had unveiled the new EV6 for the US markets last month. The EV6 will be offered in four variants in US. The top variant has a claimed range of more than 480 kms on single charge. The four-wheel drive variant is the most powerful with dual motors churning out 576 horsepower.